County employees worry after failure of use tax

Layoffs may be inevitable with 2014 budget shortfall

Nov. 7, 2013

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The whole of Greene County government hung its hopes on a proposed use tax to prop up county finances.

But with the tax’s failure at the polls Tuesday, county employees are fearing the worst.

County officials are expecting a $2.1 million shortfall between what they had hoped to spend in the next year and the revenue coming in.

To close that gap, officeholders and department heads with general revenue funding are now facing 10 percent cuts to their budgets.

For departments that have already endured cut after cut, there’s a strong possibility that layoffs are the only remaining option.

“We would like to avoid layoffs if at all possible. I’m not sure I can guarantee that won’t happen,” Presiding Commissioner Jim Viebrock said.

With the current structure of county government, the only real discretion county officials have with spending is in the general revenue budget. The money in other funds, like road and bridge or parks, can’t be used elsewhere and therefore isn’t generally cut.

County officials warn the 2014 budget process is still in its infancy. No one has any solid ideas of where cuts should be made or what programs could be scaled back.

“We have a giant puzzle on the table right now,” Viebrock said.

Sheriff Jim Arnott said his employees are understandably worried.

“They’re very solemn and disappointed,” Arnott said.

He said he’s going to do all he can to prevent personnel cuts, but the bleak financial picture isn’t giving staff much hope.

“I was already losing people out of concern that we were going to lose their jobs,” Arnott said.

That fear seemed to permeate the county campus.

“People are very worried,” County Administrator Tim Smith said.

“There’s nothing in the short term that saves 2014.”

On Friday, top county decision makers will meet to start sketching out what 2014’s budget will look like. With six or more weeks until the budget has to be finalized, Friday’s meeting won’t likely include any decisions but will be the first glimpse into what officeholders are considering.

“We got our marching orders from the public,” Viebrock said. However difficult, they now have to find a way to continue on.

“We need to show our ability to lead.”

One thing that was not mentioned Wednesday, at least publicly, was the possibility of asking for a tax again.

If the county wanted to pursue another tax, the next ballot opportunity is in April. But that’s the date the city of Springfield has already snagged for its pension tax renewal.

There’s nothing saying the county can’t also run a tax question at the same time, but government entities generally try to avoid a surge of tax questions on the same ballot.

At this point, no one is gearing up for another election. Officials seemed more focused on what the budget will bring.